Being Bought By Gambling Lobby
As the debate over whether to legalize casino gambling at racetracks heats up in Kentucky, it is clear that the issue is tied up in more financial concerns than might appear at first glance.
The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP), a group of people with ties to the horse breeding industry who act as a lobby group for casino gambling at racetracks, have a large amount of funds at their disposal with which, many say, they are attempting to buy supporters.
“KEEP has the potential to make a significant impact” in the upcoming 2006 elections, said Joe Gershtenson, director of the Center for History and Politics at Eastern Kentucky University. “So it does present an opportunity for anybody who wants to come out for gambling legislation to try to hit KEEP up for campaign money.”
The leader of KEEP is former Democratic Gov. Brereton Jones, who single- handedly raised more than $50,000 for the Democratic Senate candidate. KEEP also gave $1,000 to the candidate from its Political Action Committee, which is the maximum amount allowed by campaign finance laws. The organization has also resolved to financially support any legislators who promise to work to promote KEEP’s gambling agenda.
However, some say that Democrats who take campaign funds from KEEP will not actually work to legalize casino gambling at racetracks. According to the GOP Senate President David Williams, the gambling bill does not have a chance of passing both chambers, since it does not have enough support in the Senate, and some say that Democrats plan to accept money from the gambling lobby organization even though they know that the legislation does not have a chance- or, rather, because they know that the legislation does not have a chance.
Sen. Tom Buford, a Nicholasville Republican, said that Democrats are using the gambling lobby to gain financial support in the next elections, even though they are secretly hoping that the gambling legislation does not pass the Senate so that the House members do not have to say that the support gambling. Nobody, opined Buford, really expects the gambling legislation to pass, including KEEP itself.
“I would say the horse breeders would probably accept that to be a good-faith effort to just get the bill out of committee when I think we all know they’re just going through the motions,” Buford said.
Buford added that, with seven Democratic candidates fighting for GOP seats in the fall, it is logical for the Democrats to pretend to support KEEP’s gambling bill.
“Those are the kinds of things we’d do if we were in the minority,” Buford said. “You go where the funds are.”
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admin :: Dec.16.2007 :: Gambling Info :: No Comments »